simple words
by 7thPersona
Summary: Zelda was concerned for him - he had been awfully quiet that day. She wondered, "Is this the breaking point?" (zelink, post-botw)


Hiya! So, I just got botw, and I am now officially (seriously, send help). I thought that I would give writing for this amazing game a shot, so without further delay, enjoy!

~ **simple words** ~

We had been sitting outside his home for a while, listening to the fire crackling and watching the sun slowly disappear off the horizon. While it was indeed serine, I still worried. He had been awfully quiet today - since the fall of the poisoning malice, he had begun to open up more, acting silly and showing his emotions. I tapped my wooden pencil against my leather-bound notebook, sighing softly and turning to gaze at him. His knees were pulled up to his chest, and he had his arms wrapped around them. His head rested against his knees, disheveled blonde hair cascading down.

I stared a while longer, my eyebrows furrowing, studying how the fading sunlight illuminated his body's outline and grazed his face with ethereal glow, bouncing from his freckled skin. I turned to a blank page in my notebook, hoping to capture the picture. I bit the inside of my cheek, and

with silent fervour began to doodle. I managed to finish sketching out the drawing just as the first stars began to litter the sky. I wanted desperately to show him, but felt off about doing so. So instead, after refining the drawing somewhat, I began to aimlessly map out some Guardian parts.

Suddenly, accentuated with a shaky breath, he turns to me, "Zelda," he whispers, glancing up at me through his long bangs, "Do you ever feel your chest and heart convulse with the need to cry… but you just… can't?" I inhaled sharply, surprised by his abrupt words, but remained silent. I could tell there was something else he wanted to say.

I stealthily slid closer to him, leaving my book and pencil behind. My body gently nudged his, and I felt him flinch, but I did not back away. "W-well, I guess I do know what you mean," I started awkwardly, gulping, "kind of." He spared me a questioning look. I continued, "What makes you feel this way, Link?" I knew I was never the best at providing comfort to others, but I would try. Before he could start speaking, I tagged on a firm, but kind reminder, "I'm always here to listen to you."

He hid away, his words muffled, "I-I just… I'm- I'm so l-lonely," he stuttered, voice weak. "I don't even know w-why. I have you, and- and I just…," his voice broke, "I'm so…"

My lips made a grim line. Sighing softly, my silky strands moving with the exhalation of breath, I closed the small gap between us, my hand nudging his leg. Several silent moments passed.

Eventually, my fingers brushed his cheek. I tenderly cupped his face, and he lifted his head just enough for his eyes to peek through his messy bangs. We locked gazes and I stared, entranced, into his ocean orbs, the sea color crashing with waves of built up emotions trying to spill over the edge of a wall. Tears pooled in the corners, and I felt my stomach clench and heart ache. He took a shuddering breath. "Zelda, I'm so sad."

I dropped my hand from his freckle-splattered cheek and I swallowed, unsure of what to say, "I-I'm," I snapped my mouth closed. My silence was deafening, and soon he was curling further into himself, shoulders quaking as silent cries racked his body. Tears dripped slowly down my face as I stared at my trembling hands. What was I supposed to do?

I couldn't take it anymore. I launched myself forward, wrapping my arms around his shaking body and pulling him into me, "Link, Link, I'm so sorry," I whispered into his hair as he clutched the front of my shirt.

The dam broke. Tears spurted from his eyes and his body trembled with labored, rapid breathing. He rubbed his palms on his face, sobs racking his body and making his voice jump, "Zelda, help, I'm tired of being sad! I'm tired of feeling alone! Nothing matters and everything matters! Everyday is a struggle, and I just can't keep going! I-I," He choked on his words leaning into my embrace, "I'm not good enough! Everything is always my fault! Maybe if I had trained harder or had been more careful, none of this would've happened - I would've stopped Ganon one hundred years ago, and then maybe-maybe I wouldn't be so lonely!" He tried to breathe, chest heaving.

"I'm so afraid. And I'm so confused." He weeped into my shirt, soaking it with his tears.

"I know," I uttered, trying to silence my own crying.

"Where are all of these emotions coming from?! There are so many of them!" He yelled, causing my heart to wrench painfully.

"I-I know."

"They're eating me up! Controlling my life! They make my heart burn, and they make me sick," He gasped into my drenched shirt, "I make myself sick. I hate myself so much. Why am I even alive? I don't want to live like this anymore, I don't want to live, I-" He couldn't say anymore, and curled into me, hands clenching the material of my clothes tighter. After several minutes of grieving, with whimpers falling from his lips, he spoke hoarsely, "What do I do, Zelda?"

"I don't know," I sniveled, failure and helplessness bubbling in my chest. I hugged him tighter, crying into his golden locks.

He looked up at me, eyes swollen and bloodshot, tears dripping from his chin, face flushed, and eyes so pained, and breathed, "I just want to be happy."

 **~simple words~**

" _Zelda, I'm so sad," Is what he had said, broken down and sobbing openly for the first time in our long lives. I had told him, "I know," and tried to convince him (and myself) that I truly understood what was happening. But, did I? I don't think I did fully, no. I was confused, just as he, and didn't know how to help. I had certainly felt that, the helplessness, before. Perhaps it was the most common emotion in my life. But, knowing that I had no way to provide true, immediate comfort to my friend, my love, was truly heartbreaking. Even more so, I had to accept that these feelings of his weren't new, certainly not. They had been present long before the Calamity. He had been suffering this for longer than he could literally remember. And I was utterly oblivious. That was the epitome of uselessness._

 **~simple words~**

 _Dismal. Sorrowful. Despairing. Despondent. Heartbroken. Distressed. Doleful. Grieved. Somber. Wistful. Dejected._

 _There were so many words he could've used. So many words that conveyed so much more. But, he said "I'm so sad." Sad. What does that word even mean? What does it mean to be truly sad? The way it seemed to me, that small snippet of a word was a mashed up combination of every word, and so many more, listed above that could only be described as the word it was; sad._

 _That three letter word held more power than the Calamity itself. It could break the strongest of soldiers with a single, undetectable blow. Did it break my knight? I wondered if there was any word that was strong enough to combat it. A word capable of overpowering it and bring another simple word to light; happy. That was another word he had used - "I just want to be happy."_

 _Could a word even simpler than sad prevail? That would be the test, the hope. For the word that was put against the formidable three letters was_ _ **I**_ _._ _ **I**_ _would fight his sadness._ _ **I**_ _was determined to see him smile and hear him laugh._ _ **I**_ _was going to piece him back together, even if it was the last thing I did._ _ **I**_ _was going to love Link. And_ _ **he**_ _was going to be happy._

 **~simple words~**

Hopefully it wasn't too sad haha. Also, this is a bit of an experiment, because I've never written in a character's pov, so hopefully it wasn't too bad. To be honest, this was a vent fic I wrote at 3 am, so I don't expect it to be all that good. But, I do have another Zelda fic coming out, so stay tuned! Well, that's all for today. Have a great day, and eat and drink plenty!

(p.s. let me know if you're interested in a second chapter for this)

(and sorry for the really weird breaks, the actual line breaks wouldn't work for some reason?)


End file.
